This invention relates to a method and device for encouraging earthworms, particularly night crawlers, to emerge from their burrows for harvest.
Presently, fishermen and others requiring night crawlers, use lights to find worms as they emerge at night. This method is time consuming and yields uneven results. The present invention allows the user to quickly and accurately locate and capture worms, particularly night crawlers, at any time of the day or night, in various weather conditions, at any location having ground soil containing earthworms.
It is presently known to use chemical compounds or electrical current to cause earthworms to emerge from their burrows. U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,372, for example, discloses a worm harvesting method, which comprises wetting ground soil with an aqueous solution containing free chlorine. The method includes forming the solution in a pail and continually flowing water into the pail so that the solution overflows the confines of the pail and pours on the ground surrounding the pail. While this method may yield some positive result, the rate of water flowing out of the pail is difficult to control. Further, the user is limited to application of the solution to the area immediately surrounding the pail. Since not all ground soil contains earthworms, if the area surrounding the pail is found not to contain earthworms, the user must transfer the pail and solution therein to other sites in succession until an earthworm-containing site is located. This is inconvenient and time-consuming for the user.
The present method and apparatus for harvesting earthworms includes an easily used fluid mixer. The method includes controllably wetting ground soil containing earthworms with an aqueous solution containing at least 10 parts per million of free chlorine. The solution is mixed in the mixing chamber of the novel fluid mixer and sprayed out the discharge end. The method allows the user to readily move from one harvest area to another and provides a solution that minimizes damage to the flora and fauna in the harvesting area. The apparatus comprises a spraying device having an inlet, an outlet, and a mixing chamber.
The present invention provides an improved method for causing earthworms to come out of the ground so that they may be readily harvested, and also provides a device for use in mixing a fluid composition functional when applied to ground soil containing earthworms to cause the earthworms in the ground soil to emerge for harvesting.
The method of the present invention generally comprises the steps of: 1. Providing a predetermined amount of a worm lure composition. 2. Providing a spraying device, having an inlet, an outlet, and a mixing chamber located intermediate said inlet and said outlet; the mixing chamber arranged to receive the predetermined amount of worm lure composition. 3. Providing a source of pressurized mixing fluid coupled to the inlet. 4. Providing a fluid passageway communicating with the inlet and mixing chamber. 5. Mixing the mixing fluid and the predetermined amount of worm lure composition in the mixing chamber to provide a worm lure mixture having at least 10 parts per million chlorine. 6. Providing a second fluid passageway, the second fluid passageway communicating with the outlet and the mixing chamber. 7. Spraying the worm lure mixture from the outlet onto ground soil containing worms thereby causing worms to emerge from the ground soil. B. Collecting the worms.
The worm lure mixture used in the present invention is generally comprised of an aqueous solution having at least 10 parts per million chlorine, as mixed in the mixing chamber of the novel fluid mixer. The fluid mixer includes an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is adapted to be attached to a conventional water supply hose, such as a garden hose. The inlet and outlet each include a passageway bore having a predetermined diameter. The inlet bore communicates with a pellet or mixing chamber which is adapted to receive worm lure composition, such as a pellet or tablet containing a predetermined amount of available chlorine. The bore of said first passageway transversely intersects the bore of the mixing chamber at a point intermediate the ends of the mixing chamber bore, and further, one end of the mixing chamber bore transversely intersects the inner end of the second passageway bore. The pellet or mixing chamber includes a first aperture communicating with the inlet bore and a second aperture communicating with an outlet bore. The outlet bore includes a distal discharge outlet. It is preferred that the inlet bore be of a larger diameter than the outlet bore to thereby provide increased resistance for the fluid. flow through the device.
The pellet or mixing chamber is further provided with a pellet insert opening including a threaded cap. The pellet or mixing chamber may also include a tubular insert spacer to assist in retaining an inserted pellet in place. In one embodiment, the chamber spacer may be provided with at least one aperture to allow water flowing through the inlet bore to enter the chamber, flush over the pellet to dissolve the pellet, and exit as a worm lure solution through the discharge bore. The solution exits the discharge bore and is sprayed on ground soil at a worm-collecting site. As the solution is applied to the ground soil or turf, it comes in contact with worms. The solution encourages the worms to come to the surface of the soil for easy capture and collection. It is noted that this method may be practiced with good results during the day or night, and in any temperate weather condition. Further, worms harvested by this method are not harmed by the worm lure mixture and may be stored in any conventional manner after being rinsed in water.